274 



Dr. Hofmann on Transformations of 



[Feb. 4 



allylamine there is formed a second liquid base having a very high boiling- 

 point, which yields an amorphous platinum-salt. It remains behind as an 

 oily layer, not volatilizable with the vapour of water, when the product of 

 the action of hydrochloric acid upon mustard-oil, for the purpose of puri- 

 fying the allylamine, is distilled with soda. 



Action of Sulphuric Acid upon Ethylic 31nstard-oil. 



Dilute sulphuric acid acts like w T ater and hydrochloric acid. Highly 

 characteristic, however, is the behaviour of ethylic mustard-oil towards 

 concentrated sulphuric acid. The two liquids mix with considerable evo- 

 lution of heat, and after a few moments a powerful disengagement of gas 

 takes place, which, if the reaction be promoted by the application of heat, 

 may be increased to explosive violence. The gas evolved is inflammable, 

 and burns with a blue flame. It has a peculiar odour, essentially different 

 from that of bisulphide of carbon, or of sulphuretted hydrogen ; from the 

 latter it differs, moreover, by its having no action upon lead-paper. These 

 are the characteristics of sulphoxide of carbon, lately discovered by vonThan. 

 The residue contains sulphate of ethylamine. 



°c s 5 } N + H ^ = ° 2 1 5 } N + C S ' 



In contact with water, more especially in the presence of an alkali, 

 sulphoxide of carbon is converted into carbonic acid and sulphuretted hy- 

 drogen. Treatment of ethylic mustard-oil with concentrated sulphuric 

 acid thus enables us to arrest halfway the transformation which is accom- 

 plished under the influence of water. 



Action of Sulphuric Acid upon Sulphocyanide of Ethyl. 



Dilute sulphuric acid acts but slowly upon sulphocyanide of ethyl ; con- 

 centrated acid, on the other hand, attacks the compound with great energy, 

 powerful evolution of heat and disengagement of carbonic and sulphurous 

 acids taking place. On distilling the liquid after addition of water, sulphu- 

 retted ethereal products are volatilized ; the deep-brown residue, when treated 

 with lime, yields abundance of ammonia. In the presence of these observa- 

 tions, it appeared very probable that the action of sulphuric acid resembled 

 that of water and of hydrochloric acid, and that in this case likewise the ethyl- 

 group was eliminated in combination with sulphur. 



Interesting experiments on the action of sulphuric acid upon sulpho- 

 cyanide of ethyl, lately communicated to the Chemical Society of Berlin* 

 by Messrs. Schmitt and Glutz, have indeed verified this assumption ; but 

 these experiments have proved, moreover, that the reaction, exactly as in 

 the case of the transformation of ethylic mustard-oil, is capable of stopping 

 at an intermediate stage, inasmuch as the above-named chemists have suc- 

 ceeded in isolating from the products of the reaction a compound isomeric 

 * Sitzungsbevickte der cliemiscken Gesellsckaft, 1868, S. 182. 



